1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to portable devices intended to be carried on one's person. More particularly, this invention relates to clips for such portable devices for securing the device to an article of clothing wherein the clip incorporates a multipurpose tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable devices such as radios and personal communications apparatus, for instance pagers and cellular phones, are in widespread use in our society. These devices provide access to information as well as they allow others to be in contact with the user even when the user is away from a phone. In addition, portable radios are often carried by persons engaged in physical fitness activities to reduce the boredom sometimes associated with such activities. At one time, these devices were large and bulky and not easily carried on one's person. Today, however, the miniaturization of electronics devices has made it commonplace to slip such electronic devices into a pocket or to hang them from a belt or a pocket.
Many clip devices have been designed for securing portable electronic devices to one's person. Examples of such clip devices have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,741,074 and 4,780,934. Typically, these devices incorporate a bar which is spring loaded and pivotal with respect to the body of the electronics device. The bar may be slipped into a pocket or about a belt thereby securing the electronics device to one's person. Clip mechanisms such as these serve the sole purpose of being able to attach the device to one's person.
A typical personal communications device 2 is best shown in FIG. 1. Personal communications device 2 comprises body 4, adapter 6 and belt clip 8. Body 4, adapter 6 and belt clip 8 are shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a and 4b.
Personal communications device body 4 is comprised of box-like housing 10 and adapter interface 12. Housing 10 has front panel 14, back panel 16, upper face 18, bottom face 20 and side panels 22 and 24. Typically, one or more of the aforementioned faces or panels includes an information display such as an LCD or LED display as in todays pagers, or an analog radio frequency display as in many of todays portable radios. One or more of the aforementioned faces or panels may also include buttons or switches for controlling the operation of the personal communications device. Interface 12, as best shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b , is centered on back panel 16 proximate upper face 18. Interface 12 is comprised of tabs 26, 28 and 30, extending out from back panel 16 in an L-shape thereby forming channel 32, as best shown in FIG. 2b, for securing adapter 6 to housing 10. A locking element, not shown in the Figures and as known by those skilled in the art, may be included to prevent adapter 6 from accidentally slipping out from channel 32. Within housing 10 would be contained the electronics necessary for the particular type of personal communications device.
As best shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, adapter 6 is a rectangular element including main panel 34 and stepped edge 36 which is thinner than main panel 34. Adapter 6 is secured to housing 10 by sliding stepped edge 36 into engagement with channel 32. Adapter 6 also includes hinge flanges 38 located at each lateral edge for pivotal securement to belt clip 8, as will be discussed in greater detail below. When adapter 6 is secured to housing 10, hinge flanges 38 extend from adapter 6 in the direction away from housing 10. Hinge flanges 38 may be generally triangular in shape, as best shown in FIG. 3b, and have hole 40 through which a pin may be pressed in order to pivotally secure belt clip 8 to adapter 6. Those skilled in the art will recognize that hinge flanges 38 may be of any suitable shape including, but not limited to, circular or rectangular. Alternatively, hinge flanges 38 may be integral with housing 10, thereby eliminating the need for adapter 6, tabs 26, 28 and 30, and channel 32, while maintaining the essential function of adapter 6, that being to allow securement and removal of belt clip 8 from housing 10.
Belt clip 8 comprises bar 42 extending longitudinally from upper end 44 to lower end 46. Extending substantially perpendicular to bar 42 from lower end 46 is integral tongue 48. Belt clip 8 also includes hinge flanges 50, similar to hinge flanges 38 of adapter 6, at each lateral edge thereof proximate upper end 44. Hinge flanges 50 extend substantially perpendicularly from bar 42 and in the same direction from bar 42 as does tongue 48. Hinge flanges 50 include holes 52 for passing a round pin therethrough. Hinge flanges 38 and 50 are positioned on adapter 6 and bar 42, respectively, to be separated by different distances so that one set of hinge flanges 38 or 50 fits within the other set of hinge flanges 38 or 50 thereby allowing mating of same.
To secure belt clip 8 to adapter 6, hinge flanges 38 and 50 are aligned so that holes 40 and 52 are aligned thereby allowing a pin, not shown, to be pressed therethrough. Typically, some type of spring clip 54, like that shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, or a conventional coil spring, not shown in the Figures, is inserted between belt clip 8 and adapter 6 during assembly to provide sufficient force to bias tongue 48 towards housing 10 to secure personal communications device 2 to one's clothing. As those skilled in the art know, methods exist for securing belt clip 8 to adapter 6 by the use of a clearance-fit pin rather than a press-fit pin.
While the belt clip described above serves the purpose of securing a device to one's person, that belt clip serves that purpose and that purpose alone. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a belt clip having other uses in addition to securing a device to one's clothing.